Fallen
by Castaway5
Summary: Standing in front of the guard now, the Eternal wondered whether or not he was about to die. It was strange, that after all he had been through, he had reached a point where he almost didn't care anymore. Part 2 of the Sold Trilogy.


HA! You all thought I was lying when I said I was working on a trilogy! But I actually continued it!

Nevermind that it was for a grade...

Here's Part 2 to the Sold Trilogy. It's nice and angst ridden. :D

* * *

Fallen

For the first couple of minutes Ben did nothing but sit and enjoy the feeling of fresh air blowing against his face. It had been months since he had been outside. As much as he had wanted to see the sun and blue sky, he had to admit that the stars were indeed spectacular tonight. He had been surprised at first, because all of his fantasies about his emergence from the cave had taken place in the daylight. That he would be blinded by the light, but that he would endure it for the simple pleasure of feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. Still, this was nice too.

Those first couple of minutes were bliss; it was the first time in months that he had had a moment just to himself. There were still many things he had left to do, plenty of hardships left to face, but for now he could finally afford a little rest. He felt that he had earned it after all.

The past year had really taken a toll on his body. His skin shone white in the moonlight and Ben guessed that the bruises on his back would stand out boldly once it became light enough to see them. The boy was thin, and although that wasn't completely unnatural for the boy, the fact remained that he had survived for much too long on survival rations. His normally tow colored hair was dull and mattered with dirt and dust. Frankly, it needed to be cut.

Despite the pain his body was in, Ben felt the happiest he had been in quite a while. This job had taken a long time; just over a year, and was easily the hardest task the Angel had ever set before him. Not only that, but he had done it alone. Ned… well he hadn't seen Ned in quite a long time.

It had been strange and overwhelmingly lonely not to have his faithful companion with him during this ordeal. For over a century, he had been used to receiving the Labrador's input and advice. They had shared everything with their connection, even feelings and dreams. For the first time in over a century, Ben had his mind to himself. A normal person might have been relieved. To Ben it felt as if someone had ripped out half of his brain. To try and fill the void in their connection, the Eternal had continued talking to Ned as if the dog had able to hear his thoughts.

_It finally happened Ned, we finally succeeded. All those months planning and all those setbacks_…

Ben let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. The last couple of hours had been filled with adrenalin and terror. The Eternal realized that this was the first time he had allowed himself to relax in over a year. The first moment when he didn't have to look over his shoulder for a danger that could get him or other people killed. The youth's heartbeat sped up and despite his tiredness, despite the fact that he was sure that he had long since used up his body's supply of adrenalin, he felt energy rushing though his veins.

Standing up on the boulder that he had been sitting on, Ben threw his head back and yelled as loudly as he could. Then he was silent; listening to the sound of his voice echoing throughout the valley and off the other mountains. He was free.

Free.

Ben often thought about the word. During his seemingly endless work shifts, the youth was often able to escape into his head. He would work, he would mine or help cart debris out of the tunnels; he would do whatever they told him to do. But in his head, well that was one place that they couldn't control him.

His thoughts were distractions from his pitiful reality. Little food, unsanitary living conditions, and the sheer overwhelming amount of stress it took just to stay alive another day. Ben often wondered just how it was he had managed to stay alive as long as he did. The other people who had made the trip from Africa, across the Atlantic, had died within the first couple of months. Somehow, Ben had survived.

Once Ben had left the ship and had entered the jungles of Brazil, and later the vast system of caves that had become his world, he had realized that he was going to have to do things differently. After he had first been captured, he had used his hatred to fuel his efforts. It had given him strength and made him feel powerful. Soon however, he had realized that his hate was only holding him back. In the end though, it didn't hurt anybody but himself.

In his defense, Ben had needed that persona of himself to survive the journey to his new world. However, as soon as he had arrived, he saw just how useless hate was. Hate didn't fill your belly, or keep you warm at night. The power he had felt had never been real, but only an illusion that he had tricked himself into believing. In reality he was nothing more than the person working beside him. Sure, he was immortal, and sure, heaven had sent him. But when Ned had been around he had never thought of himself as more important than another human being. It had been a real eye opener, seeing just how much his dog had kept his thoughts grounded over the years. All Ben knew was that he didn't like the person he was becoming. That he had already become.

To say that it had been scary was an understatement. Ned wasn't with him and wouldn't be coming to his rescue any time soon, if ever. If it had been a simple matter of escaping, then Ben would have risked his own life in a heartbeat. That wasn't the reason why he was here though. He was trapped deep underground because he was supposed to get everyone else out. He was supposed to put an end to the evilness that was the diamond mine where he now lived. The part that terrified him was that he had no idea how to do it.

It had taken Ben several more days than he was proud to admit to decide what his first course of action should be. Finally, he had decided to do what he and Ned had always done in any new situation. He would treat this like any other job that the Angel had sent him on. He would make friends.

This of course, would be easier said than done. Underground, the law was every man for himself. Kindness did not exist. There were the guards who lashed out at the smallest excuse, who left a man incapacitated and ruined because they were bored. Occasionally they killed someone just to remind everybody that they could.

Rations were kept to the bear minimum; just enough to keep life in their bodies, but not enough for anything else. Hunger was a constant pain, although Ben at least had had some experience with surviving on practically nothing. The only reprieve any of them had was the great abundance of water. Several underground rivers flowed through many of the caverns, allowing easy access to the life-giving liquid.

Ben had to work slowly. In a normal situation, sharing his food would have been the simplest way to make a friend, but the rations that they were given were so small that even Ben couldn't afford to miss a meal. Conversation was limited with the guards watching them, but sometimes Ben managed to make someone smile. It helped that he spoke everyone's language.

The largest setback he faced however was the constant death that took place all around him. Whenever he made any kind of progress with a person, they usually did not live long enough for their friendship to amount to much. It was frustrating having lived underground for what he estimated to be about four months, and realizing that everyone he had reached out to was dead. The knowledge hurt, but there was little he could do about it.

Things came to a head when sickness crept into the mine. Dozens died every day and he knew that if he got sick it would all be over. It would strike the boy as ironic when he thought about it at a later date. As dangerous as the sickness was, it had been because of that event that things began to change. During the allotted time he was given to sleep, Ben always spent some time getting water for anyone too weak from sickness to get it themselves. Because of the rapid decrease in the number of healthy slaves, more had to be bought and brought in. As much as Ben loathed the idea of more people being dragged down into what he began to call his own personal hell, the sudden influx of new people gave him something else to work with.

And work with them he did. Looking back at it now, Ben didn't like to acknowledge the sheer amount of luck that it took to set everything up. Too many times he had come close to being discovered. All it would have taken was a single person, one act of misplaced trust, and it would have all been over. And it all could have ended so early…

* * *

Chink.

That was the sound that the youth's pickaxe made as it pierced the stone wall. Gritting his teeth, Ben swung the pick around and swung again. He had been mining for three straight hours without break. Really he had been mining for months straight without break, but the boy didn't think of that now. Usually at this point his arms would be shaking from exhaustion, but now they shook from something else. Fear. Excitement. Anxiety. The moment that he had been working towards for the past year was finally going to happen. In a couple of hours' time Ben would either be standing out in the fresh air soaking up the sun's rays, or he would be dead.

From behind him Ben felt the presence of someone walking behind him, watching him. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, the youth once again raised the pickaxe and swung. After a few swings Ben chanced a glance behind him. The guard, whoever it was, had moved on. Beside him, a man who called himself Damon also paused in his work. Like most of the slaves, he was African, although surprisingly the language he had grown up with was Dutch. Damon was several years older than Ben, but he was still considered to be young.

"I thought my heart was going to stop," Damon murmured. "I thought for sure that guard knew something."

"Just act normal," whispered Ben back to him. "Don't give them any reason to think anything's up."

Damon grimaced, "I'm trying, but it's not as if you're doing any better. Look how much your hands are shaking."

It was true, but Ben wasn't going to let the other man know just how nervous he really was, just how tight his stomach was wound. For just how long he had felt icy inside. "I'm fine," said Ben briskly. Dropping his pick, the youth knelt down and reached his hand into the crevice he had been working on and pulled out a long sharp piece of metal. It was a broken end of a pickaxe that Ben had stashed the other day. It had taken him two months to find the object that he considered to be an extra weapon. It had been a lucky find, but it had been difficult to hide. At the time he hadn't entirely been sure what he would be able to use it for, but eventually he had figured something out.

Sticking the broken piece of metal into the waistband of his shredded pants, Ben tucked his shirt over it and began to walk over to the middle of the cavern where they were working. Standing in the middle was a barrel of water that the slaves were allowed to use. Standing beside the barrel was a guard who was holding a rifle, but he would pay little attention to the youth unless he thought he was taking too long of a break.

Firelight flickered from the torches set up in the middle of the room. The lighting cast countless shadows around the room, which would hopefully make Ben's sleight of hand more effective. As Ben reached the barrel, he kept his eyes downcast from the guard and used one hand to cup water. As he bent down to take a sip, he used his free hand to remove the broken shard and drop it into the water supply. Splashing a bit of water on his face, Ben turned and started to walk away. Before he could get far, the guard called him back.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Ben turned and walked back up to the man. From all along the walls of the cavern, Ben could feel eyes upon him. The room was getting quieter as people stopped to watch, horrified that their plan was not going to work. Silently the immortal willed everyone to go back to work. It wasn't time to act yet, not with the guard alert and watching. Maybe he had been found out, maybe not, but Ben certainly wasn't going to give any indication that anything was amiss.

The guard was dark skinned and dirty, and if it hadn't been for the gun on him Ben wouldn't have been able to tell him apart from just another slave. It was a comparison that Ben was relying on. Standing in front of the guard now, the Eternal wondered whether or not he was about to die. It was strange that after all he had been through, he had reached a point where he almost didn't care anymore.

_If I do die though, Ned's going to be upset with me. Guess that means I should probably live_… A year ago he would there would have been humor laced with the thought. Now there was only acceptance. And it scared him.

Growing tired of the constant terror he was always feeling, Ben decided to hell with it and looked the guard in the eyes. The moment he did so the guard swung his rifle at the boy. Twisting and throwing his arms up to shield his head, the gun stock hit the youth's back, knocking him to the ground. Groaning Ben picked himself up from where he had fallen; surprised to find himself relieved that he had not been shot. _Huh, guess I want to live after all_.

The guard made no move to advance on Ben, so the boy guessed that he had just been the victim of a random piece of abuse. His relief was short lived when he heard footsteps approaching. Fearing another guard, the boy looked up into the face of another slave. Ben knew the man; he was new and strong and not yet weakened by the effects of endless hard labor. Hurriedly, Ben tried to stand and get out of the man's way, but did not move quickly enough. With a pained grunt Ben was shoved sideways.

Risking a glance, Ben saw that the guard was amused, still staring at Ben while the big slave helped himself to a drink. The guard was still smiling when the slave pulled out the broken pickaxe and stabbed the guard in the back with it. Leaping up and ignoring the pain that shot up his back, Ben grabbed the dropped gun before it hit the floor. Falling into a crouch, he quickly aimed and prepared to fire a shot at the only other guard in the room. The guard in question had been caught unawares and had only just begun to raise his gun. Before the man could, Damon was behind him, swinging his own pickaxe with as much force as he could muster.

Ben lowered the gun as the body of the guard crumpled, his blood staining the cavern's floor. Behind him Doro dropped the body he had been holding and helped Ben to stand. Wincing, Ben accepted the help and passed the gun to the man while Damon relieved the other dead guard of his gun. Safe at the moment from being killed, Ben took the moment to taken in the reactions of the other slaves.

Out of the two dozen of slave that were in this part of the tunnel system, only a handful of them had been clued in to Ben's plan. He had other allies scattered around the vast network of caves, but right at that moment, their numbers were few. Ben was going to have to do something about that.

"Listen up!" He called, not raising his voice. There was no need to, everyone was listening. His fellow slaves stared over at him, many different emotions showing on their faces. The most common one Ben saw though, was curiosity. Despite the fact that Damon and Doro had the guns, they were both looking too, as if awaiting orders. How was it that this strange blue eyed boy was in charge? Why were some of the others looking at him with such respect?

From around the room three more men walked forward to stand with Ben, clearly giving him their support. The boy glanced at them briefly, nodding at them before continuing. "Some of you know me; I've been around here for longer than most. I won't speak for everybody here, but I, myself, and those who stand with me are tired of being slaves. This isn't life. This isn't how it's supposed to be. We standing would rather die than continue to live the way we have been. That all ends now. There are more of us than just those standing. It you wish to help us, than do so. If you are too scared, I will not blame you, but please do not get in our way. It will not end well for you if you do."

Ben finished his speech, making eye contact with as many people around the room as he could. Done speaking, he accepted the pickaxe that was being offered to him from one of the men who had walked up earlier to join him. Striding off in the direction of Damon, he didn't need to look back to know that Doro and the other men were following him. As he moved, he heard the whispers all around him, hearing the chatter. More importantly however, he heard the footsteps of others joining his group.

_This is it Ned. That was just the beginning. We all still might die, but at least now we get to choose the way it happens. I've tried to do well down here, but you know as well as I do that sometimes things still don't work out. Maybe this won't be one of those times, but if it is, I know you'll be proud of me_.

That was all he thought to his dog, aware that the message would never be heard and not caring. He had gotten into the habit of speaking to Ned and he wasn't about to quit now. Gripping his weapon tightly in his hand, Ben took stock of his emotions. He was surprised to find that he was calm. His hands were no longer shaking and his stomach no longer felt as if it had been tied into a knot. The iciness that he had felt within him was gone, and had been replaced with hard steel.

They were going to do this. Or die trying.

* * *

Ben stood on the boulder looking out over the valley. He hadn't died in the rebellion that took place after Doro and Damon took out the guards. They had managed to secure three other tunnels before word of escape had gotten out. After that it had been complete chaos. Many more people died in the panic that followed, many more than Ben had originally hoped. Damon and several others of his friends had not made it out alive. Neither had any of the guards.

Over the next couple of minutes Ben became aware of people making their way out of the cave's entrance. Looking behind him, he saw that shadowy figures of half a dozen people standing silently behind him, all of them looking up at the stars. Ben cleared his throat and the closest one to him, Doro, looked at him. The man was crying.

"The cave is secured. We've broken into the storage room and others are distributing food. We've also found where they were holding the diamonds. A bunch of people think they can buy their way home with them."

Ben nodded. He wasn't sure if that plan would work, but he wouldn't stop anyone who tried. "What are you going to do?"

Doro shrugged. "I do not know. I have no family left and no home to return to."

Ben frowned and turned back to look at the valley. There were hundreds of slaves still underground, and Ben was willing to bet that, like Doro, a lot of them didn't have any homes to go to. Even if they did, they were an ocean away and in the middle of a mountain range. They wouldn't know where to go. They would need someone to guide them.

In the back of Ben's mind, he knew that he couldn't leave them. The boy wanted nothing more than to just start walking south and never look back; to forget the entire last year of his life. He wanted to home, to where it all started. That's where Ned would be meeting him, at Tierra del Fuego. At Cape Horn.

"Where will you go?" asked Doro.

The Eternal was silent for a several minutes before answering. He was thinking hard, making a choice he didn't want to make. "Home." he swallowed. "But first I need to get everyone to a safe place. Somewhere no will be able to take them again."

"Does such a place exist?" The other man wondered. He sounded doubtful.

Chewing his lip, Ben nodded. Yes, it could work. The place wasn't exactly close, but if they could get to it without any other misfortune happening to them, they would all be safe. It had been over a century since Ben had been there last, but he wasn't likely to forget the way to a place like El Dorado. He was confident that he could find it again. Once there, they would be taken care of. Or ritually sacrificed. One of the two.

Ben smiled to himself, surprised that he could joke again. Aloud, he said, "If you know where to look." Yes, Ben knew he would still have hardships ahead of him, but he was sure that nothing else he faced would be as hard as what he had just been through. The rest would be easy. And then he would find Ned.

_I'll be on my way soon Ned. It's going to take a while, but now that I'm free I can at least start moving again. I don't know where you are in the world, but you can start heading south matey. I'll be there as soon as I can. _

To the east, the sun started to rise.

* * *

To be concluded in

_Reunion_

* * *

So yeah, I researched diamond mines in Brazil. It's a thing.

And as for El Dorado, well that just seems like somewhere Ben and Ned have been before. They did spend four years traveling up South America. I'm sure they had plenty of adventure. You never know, maybe I'll write about that someday. Or someone else can. It's not like I have the , I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see everyone in the last Act!


End file.
